It’s exhausting to continually return to this comic. Vanadia takes on the Titans in this issue as the Darked Wing Queen prepares to take over, just like last issue.
I’d offer a more thorough plot synopsis of Titans #12, but honestly, it would pretty much be the same description as last time. Vanadia is still trying to eliminate the team and Raven is still plotting to take over.
Tom Taylor seems to be unable to think of any idea for this series beyond ‘what if someone was under mind control.’ That concept is taken to the point of parody here, where the two antagonists are both under the influence of the true villains. I’m sure this is unintentional, but in this arc the two women who are the focus of the story are both under the control of men and can make none of their own decisions. It’s lazy and frustrating and there’s no reason it needed to be that way.
Now that I’ve spent a paragraph complaining, let’s get to the fun stuff. First off, Lucas Meyer’s art is great as always. There’s a panel where Beast Boy is a raccoon and it’s adorable. Some artists always just end up making Logan some intimidating animal, and I love that Meyer is willing to get silly. This isn’t a very good comic, but the art team is having so much fun that it is still an enjoyable read. Colorist Adriano Lucas complements Meyer well with a palette that reminds me of a mid-2000s era team book in the best way possible.
While the fight between Vanadia and the team doesn’t have much resonance from a writing perspective, it is a treat to look at and feels like it was actually choreographed. Donna Troy’s reaction to [Minor spoiler] Vanadia’s death is a particularly strong showcase of Meter and Lucas’ work.
I’m intrigued as to where the Titans will go in the future. My guess is that Vanadia will just get put back together and that the team will take on the Dark Winged Queen with her help, but that poses the additional question of what will come of Dr. Morrow and Trigon. It is hard to muster the energy to care all that much given how clumsily all of these side plots have come together, but who knows, maybe the end of this arc will give way to a better plot. Vanadia is at least a fun character with a genuinely interesting fan-girl origin.
On a wider scale, it seems that this series is stuck in the unenviable position of having to fill time between event comics. While I have critiques of Taylor’s writing, the broader continuity at DC right now is messy and it seems like writers are under an increased amount of editorial pressure due to an onslaught of event tie-ins. Remember Beast World? Yeah, me neither. I wish this publisher would hold off on the endless events and let their writers craft full arcs without having to worry about interruptions from the seemingly quarterly event comics that are glutting up DC’s lineup.
Recommended if…
- You are a raccoon enthusiast.
- You have enough disposable income that you can burn a few bucks on a sub-par team comic without regretting it.
Overall…
I like to think of myself as a relatively patient person, but my ability to stick with Titans is continually tested by how repetitive it is. I’ve already read this mind control story by Taylor and it wasn’t all that engaging the first time around. If you are a major fan I suppose this story is worth reading if you are a completionist, but besides that this series is in a completely forgettable state right now.
